Start Your Own Business: The Only Startup Book You'll Ever Need

The Staff of Entrepreneur Media

Tapping into more than 33 years of small business expertise, the staff at Entrepreneur Media takes today's entrepreneurs beyond opening their doors and through the first three years of ownership. This revised edition features amended chapters on choosing a business, adding partners, getting funded, and managing the business structure and employees, and also includes help understanding the latest tax and healthcare reform information and legalities.

that system (or a very reliable data backup solution). As your company grows, you might find it cheaper and more convenient to keep master copies of software and even data on a central computer, and give different workstations access to more or less of it, depending on the needs of individual employees. save If you’re looking to create a network and link multiple computers and peripherals within your home office, many computer retailers will help you set this up for free (or for a small fee)

the vast majority of dissatisfied customers will never tell you they’re dissatisfied. They simply leave quietly, then tell everyone they know not to do business with you. So when a customer does complain, don’t think of it as a nuisance—think of it as a golden opportunity to change that customer’s mind and retain his or her business. Even the best product or service meets with complaints or problems now and then. Here’s how to handle them for positive results: Let customers vent their feelings.

to base a loan, banks usually require the loan to be guaranteed with your personal assets. The bank may ask you to secure the loan with the equity in your home, for example. Once you’ve established a relationship with a banker, it is simple to expand your circle of friends at the bank. Every time you visit, spend some time meeting and talking to people, especially those further up the ladder. Often, the bankers will be the ones to initiate contact. Take advantage of this opportunity. The more

. . and all your hard work in designing an attractive, efficient office could be going to waste. Step outside your place of business and take a long, hard look at the parking lot, sidewalks, windows, outside lighting, landscaping, and the outside of the building itself. A well-maintained building projects an industrious, professional image. Weeds, trash, broken sidewalks, tattered awnings, dirty windows, dead plants, and overflowing trash containers send the message “We don’t care.” Whether